In the land of Pisco... "Pisco Gatherings" Historic tales of green must pisco 1885

Pisco / Peru more than 400 years of History & Tradition (1613 -2013)

I recommend that you read this flavorful article that discusses one of the oldest versions of the elaboration of our unique Green Must Pisco around the world. From 1876 and 1888 German Doctor Ernst Middendorf traveled through a large part of Peru, and established a vast study of the history, traditional culture, and the social reality of the country. As part of his important observations, Middendorf offered a detailed version of the manner in which Pisco is obtained along the Southern Coast. In 1885, he visited the Quintana farm in Ica, where he could observe the sugar elaboration process, as well as that of grape “firewater.” From this experience, he detailed the following: On top of a rocky outcropping, at the foot of which the sugar cane wheel is located, we find the facilities to press the grapes. They are made up of a round stone deposit, fifty feet in diameter, with a brick floor, joined by clay. In this recipient, some approximate five feet tall, the grapes are placed, and in order to crush them, some 8 to 10 horses and mules run in a circle, tied with a strong rope to a post in the center of the deposit. The juice runs through a stone channel to bottles for fermentation, where it will be stored for 14 days, and once fermented, is distilled. Along the round deposit in which the grapes are crushed, there are rectangular recipients, also made of stone and paved with bricks, in which the crushed grapes are pressed, with the hopes to extract the rest of the juice. Middendorf, an astute observer, adds “The pressing mechanism is very primitive; it consists only of a large round disk made of wooden planks, and is pressed with thick beams and a rough screw also made of wood. The extracted juice runs through the stone channels to a general container. If the fermented juice is distilled before all the sugar has become alcohol, there is a finer firewater produced, called “green must pisco” (pisco mosto verde), and has a smoother, sweeter, and more aromatic flavor than the firewater prepared with the juice completely fermented. But it is much more expensive, as it requires three times the amount of green grapes. When the firewater is distilled, it fills curious bottles called Pisco, a name that probably comes from the port where they are sent to be exported.” Ernst Middendorf . Perú Observaciones y estudios del país y sus habitantes durante una permanencia de 25 años 1894. Lima 1973 De los Diversos Significados del Nombre Pisco Crónicas y Relaciones que se refieren al origen y virtudes del Pisco, bebida tradicional y patrimonio del Perú (Banco Latino 1990). Normalmente no se traduce títulos de libros, pero lo hare aquí. Ernst Middendorf. Peru: Observations and Studies of the Country and its Inhabitants During a Stay of 25 Years in 1894. Lima, 1973. Of the Different Meanings of the Name Pisco, Chronicles and Relations that Refer to the Origins and Virtues of Pisco, National Drink and Heritage of Peru (Latin Bank 1990). Ernst Wilhem Middendorf, Peruvian Traveler (1830-1909) Ernst Wilhem Middendorf was a German doctor who, influenced by Humboldt’s writings, decided to travel to the New World. In his travels through Peru, between 1859 and 1862, a true interest in all that is pre-Hispanic surged within him, which motivated him to study linguistics and archeology in Germany. Upon his return, he traveled through Peru, registering archeological and natural heritage for 25 years. He traveled through the Maranga Archeological Complex until 1886. His notes, photos and blueprints constitute a valuable documentary legacy about an city that he saw, for the most part, intact. Middendorf summarized his work in an ambitious work titled “Peru,” which was published in Germany in 1894. His keenness for comparison and analysis, as well as his attention to detail both in description and registry, make Ernst W. Middendor a notable precursor to archeological research in Peru. Taken from: http://www.elpiscoesdelperu.com/boletines/agosto2007/02.htm Translate by Katrina Heimark elpiscoesdelperu object width="560" height="315">